Category Archives: What The Bible Says

What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People?

What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aggression as a forceful action or procedure (such as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master. It’s a hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior, especially when caused by frustration. In psychology, the term “aggression” refers to a range of behaviors that can result in both physical and psychological harm to yourself, others, or objects in the environment. Aggression centers on hurting another person either physically or mentally. It’s against the fundamental message of the Bible which is to love God and love our neighbors just as Christ loved us.
Mark 12:28-31 says, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 instructs us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Jesus Christ in John 13:34 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Similarly, 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Thus, the Bible commands us to avoid all forms of aggression centered on hurting another person in any way.

What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People?

Brethren, the Bible commands us to love others and as such, we should not be aggressive toward them. Aggression is not a characteristic of love. Aggression is a demonstration of hatred and violence which are highly condemned in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Below are explicit characteristics of love from the Bible:

  • Love is patient
  • Love is kind
  • Love is respectful
  • Love is not envious
  • Love is humble
  • Love is selfless
  • Love is trusting
  • Love is calm
  • Love is righteous
  • Love is honest
  • Love protects
  • Love is hopeful
  • Love is persistent
  • Love banishes fear
  • Love loves even those who don’t love it
  • Love comes from God
  • Love makes a great sacrifice
  • Love loves through true actions
  • Love loves itself
  • Love binds a person’s good virtues in perfect unity
  • Love gives you the confidence to face even the end of time
  • Love is the greatest

What Does the Bible Say About Violence?

Violence is an extreme form of aggression. Aggression does not always involve violence, but violence always involves aggression. Violence is defined as “physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing,” and sadly, violence is a part of everyday life. It’s in our movies and television shows, and we live in a world where power is often established through violence. But for Christians, the way of the world is always trumped by the Word of God. Note that violence in the mind is just as hurtful as violence by the hands. Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” When we know that someone is in sin, is it more loving to keep it quiet and build up hate and resentment towards them? God says we should speak frankly.

Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5:21-22 that murderous anger can lead the angry man to judgment from God as quickly as a physical blow. In fact, the violence he exhibits toward someone else can be brought back upon himself by the Lord God. What about violence in war? Exodus 20:13 had been incorrectly translated as “do not kill,” but it literally means “do not murder.” Notice that God has allowed for just wars throughout the history of His people. From Abraham to Deborah to David, the Lord God’s people have fought as instruments of judgment from a righteous and holy God. Romans 13:1-4 calls on us to submit ourselves to government authorities and that nations have the right to bear the sword against evildoers, both domestic and foreign.

Purposes and Signs of Aggression

Aggression can serve a number of different purposes, including:

  • Expressing anger or hostility
  • Expressing possession
  • Intimidating or threatening
  • Competing with others
  • Reacting to pain
  • Achieving a goal
  • Asserting Dominance
  • Responding to fear

Aggressive behaviors can be physical, psychological, verbal, relational, and/or passive-aggressive. Physical aggressive behaviors may include beating, kicking, hitting, or stabbing another person. Damaging property is also a form of physical aggression. Verbal aggressive behaviors may include mocking, name-calling, and yelling. Relational aggressive behaviors which are intended to harm another person’s relationships may include spreading rumors and telling lies about someone else. Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. While we often think of aggression in its physical forms, psychological aggression can also be very detrimental. For example, intimidating or verbally berating another person are examples of verbal, emotional, and mental aggression. Cyberbullying is another form of non-physical aggression that can be very damaging.

Violence occurs, but we must recognize the difference between the holy judgment on sin and our own personal vendettas against those we dislike, which is the inevitable outcome of pride (Psalm 73:6). While men are more prone to accept violence (especially as cultures depict real men as those who never cry, always have a plan, and carry a gun), the wisest man of all time wrote, “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31). Love, forgiveness, kindness, humility, self-control, prayer and patience helps us overcome aggression, violence, and anger.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-aggressive?

Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. A passive-aggressive person is one who appears to comply with a request but actually resists it in subtle ways. The resistance can range from pouting to delayed vindictiveness. We all exhibit passive-aggressive behaviors at some point, usually as children when it was not safe to openly rebel. However, as we mature, we should be learning healthier behaviors such as setting boundaries and expressing disagreements more openly. Although the Bible does not use the term passive-aggression, it does give us character sketches of people who exhibited passive-aggressive traits and the results of that behavior.

King David’s son Absalom is an example of a passive-aggressive person (2 Samuel 14:28–33). After Absalom had murdered his brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:20), David banished him from the kingdom. Even when he was allowed to return to the kingdom, David refused to have anything to do with him. But Absalom was full of pride and hated his father.
He summoned Joab, the commander of David’s armies, to send a message to David. When Joab twice refused the summons, Absalom set fire to his crops in the field. He then began plotting to take over the kingdom from his father, but he did so by feigning compassion and concern for the citizenry. He hinted that his father was not attending to the needs of the people, and that, if crowned king, he, Absalom, would see that their needs were met. Absalom’s plan was working, and “he stole the hearts of the people of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6). Passive aggressive people are possibly more dangerous than openly aggressive ones because we don’t see the attack coming.

Biblical Facts on Passive-Aggressiveness

King Ahab of Israel demonstrated passive-aggressive behavior when he coveted the vineyard of a neighbor and was denied its purchase (1 Kings 21:1–4). His response to being denied what he wanted was to sulk and pout and refuse to eat. His passive-aggressive actions prompted his wicked wife Jezebel to scheme the murder of Naboth, the vineyard owner, and give her husband the land. The Lord God Almighty immediately sent Elijah the prophet to proclaim to Ahab that He had seen all that happened and that Ahab’s death would soon follow Naboth’s (1 Kings 21:17–22). Notice that it was Ahab’s passive-aggressive behavior that had begun the disastrous chain of events.
Passive-aggressive speech and behavior are cowardly ways of avoiding conflict. By pretending to be pleasant while inwardly seething with resentment, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are peacemakers practicing self-control. In truth, we are communicating contempt and disapproval without having the courage to openly say so. An ancient Chinese proverb presents passive-aggression like this: “Behind the smile, a hidden knife!

Sadly, social media has turned passive aggression into an art form. We know what it means when we are “unfriended,” “unfollowed,” or blocked. Some people find it easier to vent their frustrations on social media than have a private conversation with someone who has offended them. However, what begins as passive aggression can quickly mushroom into online bullying. The internet and the proliferation of smartphones have created dozens of ways for passive-aggressive people to exact revenge from behind the relative safety of a screen. Whether acted, spoken, or typed, passive-aggressive responses are dishonest and harmful. We are pretending to be unoffended while secretly planning ways to get even.

More Biblical Facts

Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.” Brethren, the Bible instructs us to confront sin in a loving and humble way, taking someone with us if the offender will not listen (Matthew 18:15–17). We should be ready to forgive and restore when someone repents (Luke 17:3). Passive aggression bypasses those critical steps in a relationship and goes directly to judgment (John 7:24). Rather than openly confront the wrong and offer an opportunity to clear the air, passive-aggressive people slide silently into the judge’s seat and devise subtle ways to get even. Christians should not be jealous, envious, or backbiting, nor should we try to sabotage someone else’s success. According to Romans 12:15, we should, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” This should be done sincerely from a loving heart.

Behold, keeping Jesus’ Golden Rule would obliterate passive-aggression (Matthew 7:12). In fact, we are to treat others the way we want them to treat us, not the way they have treated us. Regardless of how someone else acts, we are to respond with kindness, patience, and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31–32). When we stand before God one day, He will not ask us how we were treated, but how we treated others (Romans 14:12). With His help, we can recognize our own passive-aggressive tendencies and replace them with the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–25).

Did God Condone Aggression?

In reading the Old Testament, many people are likely to ask why the Lord God ordered Moses and Joshua to be so aggressive that they killed thousands of people and plundered their cities. Behold, this is an issue that is clearly problematic and has been the source of discussion among theologians for centuries. One example of the passages that portray such comes from the sixth chapter of the Book of Joshua, where God is said to have authorized Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho until they had fallen, then to enter the city with the Israelite army and to slay its inhabitants. Some Biblical scholars might argue that the Canaanite culture was inherently immoral – given to bestiality, brutality, incest, and even human sacrifice – and that it, therefore, deserved God’s wrath. But the passage certainly does not seem to align with our Christian notions of nonviolence and peace.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the topic in his 2010 apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini”; in a section titled “The ‘Dark’ Passages of the Bible,” he explained that “God’s plan is manifested progressively and it is accomplished slowly, in successive stages and despite human resistance” – which is another way of saying that the fullness of truth is revealed only in the person, teaching, and ministry of Jesus Christ (No. 42). As such, we would draw an analogy to the passage in the Gospel of Matthew (19:1-12) where Jesus Christ is asked why Moses allowed divorce; Christ’s response was that it was because of the “hardness of your hearts.” God was working, over time, with imperfect people, gradually leading them to Christ.

What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People?

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

James 1:19 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Romans 13:4 – “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Ezra 10:4 – “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

Matthew 21:12-13And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Galatians 3:27 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Luke 22:38And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Titus 2:12 – “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Luke 22:36He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Psalm 16:1-11 – “A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. …

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 2:4 – “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Mark 3:4-5Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

1 John 3:15 – “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Deuteronomy 4:33 – “Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Mark 5:1-43 – “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. …

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Romans 13:10-14 – “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Ephesians 6:17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

Colossians 2:1-23 – “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Acts 2:38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 16:1-40 – “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. …

John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Romans 1:18-32 – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Mark 10:38Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 6:1-56 – “He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Isaiah 14:6 – “That struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.”

Proverbs 29:22 – “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Isaiah 43:24 – “You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.”

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Proverbs 18:13 – “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Proverbs 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Psalm 37:8 – “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

2 Chronicles 2:4 – “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …

1 John 2:9 – “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Colossians 4:1-18 – “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. …

James 2:26 – “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Philippians 2:5 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 8:9 – “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 12:17-19 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Romans 1:26-27 – “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Dealing With Aggressive People

Luke 6:31 – “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Luke 18:14 – “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 6:27 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Luke 23:34And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Also Read

How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility?

How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aggression as a forceful action or procedure (such as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master. It’s a hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior, especially when caused by frustration. In psychology, the term “aggression” refers to a range of behaviors that can result in both physical and psychological harm to yourself, others, or objects in the environment. Aggression centers on hurting another person either physically or mentally. It’s against the fundamental message of the Bible which is to love God and love our neighbors just as Christ loved us.
Mark 12:28-31 says, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 instructs us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Jesus Christ in John 13:34 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Similarly, 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Thus, the Bible commands us to avoid all forms of aggression centered on hurting another person in any way.

How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility?

Brethren, the Bible commands us to love others and as such, we should not be aggressive toward them. Aggression is not a characteristic of love. Aggression is a demonstration of hatred and violence which are highly condemned in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Below are explicit characteristics of love from the Bible:

  • Love is patient
  • Love is kind
  • Love is respectful
  • Love is not envious
  • Love is humble
  • Love is selfless
  • Love is trusting
  • Love is calm
  • Love is righteous
  • Love is honest
  • Love protects
  • Love is hopeful
  • Love is persistent
  • Love banishes fear
  • Love loves even those who don’t love it
  • Love comes from God
  • Love makes a great sacrifice
  • Love loves through true actions
  • Love loves itself
  • Love binds a person’s good virtues in perfect unity
  • Love gives you the confidence to face even the end of time
  • Love is the greatest

What Does the Bible Say About Violence?

Violence is an extreme form of aggression. Aggression does not always involve violence, but violence always involves aggression. Violence is defined as “physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing,” and sadly, violence is a part of everyday life. It’s in our movies and television shows, and we live in a world where power is often established through violence. But for Christians, the way of the world is always trumped by the Word of God. Note that violence in the mind is just as hurtful as violence by the hands. Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” When we know that someone is in sin, is it more loving to keep it quiet and build up hate and resentment towards them? God says we should speak frankly.

Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5:21-22 that murderous anger can lead the angry man to judgment from God as quickly as a physical blow. In fact, the violence he exhibits toward someone else can be brought back upon himself by the Lord God. What about violence in war? Exodus 20:13 had been incorrectly translated as “do not kill,” but it literally means “do not murder.” Notice that God has allowed for just wars throughout the history of His people. From Abraham to Deborah to David, the Lord God’s people have fought as instruments of judgment from a righteous and holy God. Romans 13:1-4 calls on us to submit ourselves to government authorities and that nations have the right to bear the sword against evildoers, both domestic and foreign.

Purposes and Signs of Aggression

Aggression can serve a number of different purposes, including:

  • Expressing anger or hostility
  • Expressing possession
  • Intimidating or threatening
  • Competing with others
  • Reacting to pain
  • Achieving a goal
  • Asserting Dominance
  • Responding to fear

Aggressive behaviors can be physical, psychological, verbal, relational, and/or passive-aggressive. Physical aggressive behaviors may include beating, kicking, hitting, or stabbing another person. Damaging property is also a form of physical aggression. Verbal aggressive behaviors may include mocking, name-calling, and yelling. Relational aggressive behaviors which are intended to harm another person’s relationships may include spreading rumors and telling lies about someone else. Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. While we often think of aggression in its physical forms, psychological aggression can also be very detrimental. For example, intimidating or verbally berating another person are examples of verbal, emotional, and mental aggression. Cyberbullying is another form of non-physical aggression that can be very damaging.

Violence occurs, but we must recognize the difference between the holy judgment on sin and our own personal vendettas against those we dislike, which is the inevitable outcome of pride (Psalm 73:6). While men are more prone to accept violence (especially as cultures depict real men as those who never cry, always have a plan, and carry a gun), the wisest man of all time wrote, “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31). Love, forgiveness, kindness, humility, self-control, prayer and patience helps us overcome aggression, violence, and anger.

What the Bible Says About Being Passive-aggressive

Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. A passive-aggressive person is one who appears to comply with a request but actually resists it in subtle ways. The resistance can range from pouting to delayed vindictiveness. We all exhibit passive-aggressive behaviors at some point, usually as children when it was not safe to openly rebel. However, as we mature, we should be learning healthier behaviors such as setting boundaries and expressing disagreements more openly. Although the Bible does not use the term passive-aggression, it does give us character sketches of people who exhibited passive-aggressive traits and the results of that behavior.

King David’s son Absalom is an example of a passive-aggressive person (2 Samuel 14:28–33). After Absalom had murdered his brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:20), David banished him from the kingdom. Even when he was allowed to return to the kingdom, David refused to have anything to do with him. But Absalom was full of pride and hated his father.
He summoned Joab, the commander of David’s armies, to send a message to David. When Joab twice refused the summons, Absalom set fire to his crops in the field. He then began plotting to take over the kingdom from his father, but he did so by feigning compassion and concern for the citizenry. He hinted that his father was not attending to the needs of the people, and that, if crowned king, he, Absalom, would see that their needs were met. Absalom’s plan was working, and “he stole the hearts of the people of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6). Passive aggressive people are possibly more dangerous than openly aggressive ones because we don’t see the attack coming.

Biblical Facts on Passive-Aggressiveness

King Ahab of Israel demonstrated passive-aggressive behavior when he coveted the vineyard of a neighbor and was denied its purchase (1 Kings 21:1–4). His response to being denied what he wanted was to sulk and pout and refuse to eat. His passive-aggressive actions prompted his wicked wife Jezebel to scheme the murder of Naboth, the vineyard owner, and give her husband the land. The Lord God Almighty immediately sent Elijah the prophet to proclaim to Ahab that He had seen all that happened and that Ahab’s death would soon follow Naboth’s (1 Kings 21:17–22). Notice that it was Ahab’s passive-aggressive behavior that had begun the disastrous chain of events.
Passive-aggressive speech and behavior are cowardly ways of avoiding conflict. By pretending to be pleasant while inwardly seething with resentment, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are peacemakers practicing self-control. In truth, we are communicating contempt and disapproval without having the courage to openly say so. An ancient Chinese proverb presents passive-aggression like this: “Behind the smile, a hidden knife!

Sadly, social media has turned passive aggression into an art form. We know what it means when we are “unfriended,” “unfollowed,” or blocked. Some people find it easier to vent their frustrations on social media than have a private conversation with someone who has offended them. However, what begins as passive aggression can quickly mushroom into online bullying. The internet and the proliferation of smartphones have created dozens of ways for passive-aggressive people to exact revenge from behind the relative safety of a screen. Whether acted, spoken, or typed, passive-aggressive responses are dishonest and harmful. We are pretending to be unoffended while secretly planning ways to get even.

More Biblical Facts

Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.” Brethren, the Bible instructs us to confront sin in a loving and humble way, taking someone with us if the offender will not listen (Matthew 18:15–17). We should be ready to forgive and restore when someone repents (Luke 17:3). Passive aggression bypasses those critical steps in a relationship and goes directly to judgment (John 7:24). Rather than openly confront the wrong and offer an opportunity to clear the air, passive-aggressive people slide silently into the judge’s seat and devise subtle ways to get even. Christians should not be jealous, envious, or backbiting, nor should we try to sabotage someone else’s success. According to Romans 12:15, we should, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” This should be done sincerely from a loving heart.

Behold, keeping Jesus’ Golden Rule would obliterate passive-aggression (Matthew 7:12). In fact, we are to treat others the way we want them to treat us, not the way they have treated us. Regardless of how someone else acts, we are to respond with kindness, patience, and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31–32). When we stand before God one day, He will not ask us how we were treated, but how we treated others (Romans 14:12). With His help, we can recognize our own passive-aggressive tendencies and replace them with the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–25).

Did God Condone Aggression?

In reading the Old Testament, many people are likely to ask why the Lord God ordered Moses and Joshua to be so aggressive that they killed thousands of people and plundered their cities. Behold, this is an issue that is clearly problematic and has been the source of discussion among theologians for centuries. One example of the passages that portray such comes from the sixth chapter of the Book of Joshua, where God is said to have authorized Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho until they had fallen, then to enter the city with the Israelite army and to slay its inhabitants. Some Biblical scholars might argue that the Canaanite culture was inherently immoral – given to bestiality, brutality, incest, and even human sacrifice – and that it, therefore, deserved God’s wrath. But the passage certainly does not seem to align with our Christian notions of nonviolence and peace.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the topic in his 2010 apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini”; in a section titled “The ‘Dark’ Passages of the Bible,” he explained that “God’s plan is manifested progressively and it is accomplished slowly, in successive stages and despite human resistance” – which is another way of saying that the fullness of truth is revealed only in the person, teaching, and ministry of Jesus Christ (No. 42). As such, we would draw an analogy to the passage in the Gospel of Matthew (19:1-12) where Jesus Christ is asked why Moses allowed divorce; Christ’s response was that it was because of the “hardness of your hearts.” God was working, over time, with imperfect people, gradually leading them to Christ.

How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility?

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

James 1:19 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Romans 13:4 – “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Ezra 10:4 – “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

Matthew 21:12-13And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Group 1 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Galatians 3:27 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 2 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Psalm 16:1-11 – “A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. …

Luke 22:38And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Titus 2:12 – “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Luke 22:36He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”

Group 3 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 2:4 – “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

Group 4 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

1 John 3:15 – “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Deuteronomy 4:33 – “Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Mark 3:4-5Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

Group 5 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Mark 5:1-43 – “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. …

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Group 6 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Ephesians 6:17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

Colossians 2:1-23 – “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. …

Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Romans 13:10-14 – “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Group 7 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Acts 2:38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 16:1-40 – “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. …

John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Romans 1:18-32 – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …

Group 8 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Mark 10:38Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 6:1-56 – “He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” …

Group 9 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Isaiah 14:6 – “That struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.”

Proverbs 29:22 – “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Isaiah 43:24 – “You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.”

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Group 10 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Proverbs 18:13 – “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Proverbs 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Psalm 37:8 – “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

2 Chronicles 2:4 – “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.

Group 11 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

1 John 2:9 – “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …

Group 12 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Colossians 4:1-18 – “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. …

James 2:26 – “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Group 13 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Philippians 2:5 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Group 14 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 8:9 – “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 12:17-19 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Romans 1:26-27 – “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Group 15 – How Should a Christian Respond to Hatred and Hostility

Luke 6:27 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Luke 23:34And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Luke 6:31 – “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Luke 18:14 – “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive?

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive Aggressive

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aggression as a forceful action or procedure (such as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master. It’s a hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior, especially when caused by frustration. In psychology, the term “aggression” refers to a range of behaviors that can result in both physical and psychological harm to yourself, others, or objects in the environment. Aggression centers on hurting another person either physically or mentally. It’s against the fundamental message of the Bible which is to love God and love our neighbors just as Christ loved us.
Mark 12:28-31 says, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 instructs us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Jesus Christ in John 13:34 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Similarly, 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Thus, the Bible commands us to avoid all forms of aggression centered on hurting another person in any way.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive?

Brethren, the Bible commands us to love others and as such, we should not be aggressive toward them. Aggression is not a characteristic of love. Aggression is a demonstration of hatred and violence which are highly condemned in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Below are explicit characteristics of love from the Bible:

  • Love is patient
  • Love is kind
  • Love is respectful
  • Love is not envious
  • Love is humble
  • Love is selfless
  • Love is trusting
  • Love is calm
  • Love is righteous
  • Love is honest
  • Love protects
  • Love is hopeful
  • Love is persistent
  • Love banishes fear
  • Love loves even those who don’t love it
  • Love comes from God
  • Love makes a great sacrifice
  • Love loves through true actions
  • Love loves itself
  • Love binds a person’s good virtues in perfect unity
  • Love gives you the confidence to face even the end of time
  • Love is the greatest

What Does the Bible Say About Violence?

Violence is an extreme form of aggression. Aggression does not always involve violence, but violence always involves aggression. Violence is defined as “physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing,” and sadly, violence is a part of everyday life. It’s in our movies and television shows, and we live in a world where power is often established through violence. But for Christians, the way of the world is always trumped by the Word of God. Note that violence in the mind is just as hurtful as violence by the hands. Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” When we know that someone is in sin, is it more loving to keep it quiet and build up hate and resentment towards them? God says we should speak frankly.

Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5:21-22 that murderous anger can lead the angry man to judgment from God as quickly as a physical blow. In fact, the violence he exhibits toward someone else can be brought back upon himself by the Lord God. What about violence in war? Exodus 20:13 had been incorrectly translated as “do not kill,” but it literally means “do not murder.” Notice that God has allowed for just wars throughout the history of His people. From Abraham to Deborah to David, the Lord God’s people have fought as instruments of judgment from a righteous and holy God. Romans 13:1-4 calls on us to submit ourselves to government authorities and that nations have the right to bear the sword against evildoers, both domestic and foreign.

Purposes and Signs of Aggression

Aggression can serve a number of different purposes, including:

  • Expressing anger or hostility
  • Expressing possession
  • Intimidating or threatening
  • Competing with others
  • Reacting to pain
  • Achieving a goal
  • Asserting Dominance
  • Responding to fear

Aggressive behaviors can be physical, psychological, verbal, relational, and/or passive-aggressive. Physical aggressive behaviors may include beating, kicking, hitting, or stabbing another person. Damaging property is also a form of physical aggression. Verbal aggressive behaviors may include mocking, name-calling, and yelling. Relational aggressive behaviors which are intended to harm another person’s relationships may include spreading rumors and telling lies about someone else. Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. While we often think of aggression in its physical forms, psychological aggression can also be very detrimental. For example, intimidating or verbally berating another person are examples of verbal, emotional, and mental aggression. Cyberbullying is another form of non-physical aggression that can be very damaging.

Violence occurs, but we must recognize the difference between the holy judgment on sin and our own personal vendettas against those we dislike, which is the inevitable outcome of pride (Psalm 73:6). While men are more prone to accept violence (especially as cultures depict real men as those who never cry, always have a plan, and carry a gun), the wisest man of all time wrote, “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31). Love, forgiveness, kindness, humility, self-control, prayer and patience helps us overcome aggression, violence, and anger.

What the Bible Says About Being Passive-aggressive

Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. A passive-aggressive person is one who appears to comply with a request but actually resists it in subtle ways. The resistance can range from pouting to delayed vindictiveness. We all exhibit passive-aggressive behaviors at some point, usually as children when it was not safe to openly rebel. However, as we mature, we should be learning healthier behaviors such as setting boundaries and expressing disagreements more openly. Although the Bible does not use the term passive-aggression, it does give us character sketches of people who exhibited passive-aggressive traits and the results of that behavior.

King David’s son Absalom is an example of a passive-aggressive person (2 Samuel 14:28–33). After Absalom had murdered his brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:20), David banished him from the kingdom. Even when he was allowed to return to the kingdom, David refused to have anything to do with him. But Absalom was full of pride and hated his father.
He summoned Joab, the commander of David’s armies, to send a message to David. When Joab twice refused the summons, Absalom set fire to his crops in the field. He then began plotting to take over the kingdom from his father, but he did so by feigning compassion and concern for the citizenry. He hinted that his father was not attending to the needs of the people, and that, if crowned king, he, Absalom, would see that their needs were met. Absalom’s plan was working, and “he stole the hearts of the people of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6). Passive aggressive people are possibly more dangerous than openly aggressive ones because we don’t see the attack coming.

Biblical Facts on Passive-Aggressiveness

King Ahab of Israel demonstrated passive-aggressive behavior when he coveted the vineyard of a neighbor and was denied its purchase (1 Kings 21:1–4). His response to being denied what he wanted was to sulk and pout and refuse to eat. His passive-aggressive actions prompted his wicked wife Jezebel to scheme the murder of Naboth, the vineyard owner, and give her husband the land. The Lord God Almighty immediately sent Elijah the prophet to proclaim to Ahab that He had seen all that happened and that Ahab’s death would soon follow Naboth’s (1 Kings 21:17–22). Notice that it was Ahab’s passive-aggressive behavior that had begun the disastrous chain of events.
Passive-aggressive speech and behavior are cowardly ways of avoiding conflict. By pretending to be pleasant while inwardly seething with resentment, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are peacemakers practicing self-control. In truth, we are communicating contempt and disapproval without having the courage to openly say so. An ancient Chinese proverb presents passive-aggression like this: “Behind the smile, a hidden knife!

Sadly, social media has turned passive aggression into an art form. We know what it means when we are “unfriended,” “unfollowed,” or blocked. Some people find it easier to vent their frustrations on social media than have a private conversation with someone who has offended them. However, what begins as passive aggression can quickly mushroom into online bullying. The internet and the proliferation of smartphones have created dozens of ways for passive-aggressive people to exact revenge from behind the relative safety of a screen. Whether acted, spoken, or typed, passive-aggressive responses are dishonest and harmful. We are pretending to be unoffended while secretly planning ways to get even.

More Biblical Facts

Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.” Brethren, the Bible instructs us to confront sin in a loving and humble way, taking someone with us if the offender will not listen (Matthew 18:15–17). We should be ready to forgive and restore when someone repents (Luke 17:3). Passive aggression bypasses those critical steps in a relationship and goes directly to judgment (John 7:24). Rather than openly confront the wrong and offer an opportunity to clear the air, passive-aggressive people slide silently into the judge’s seat and devise subtle ways to get even. Christians should not be jealous, envious, or backbiting, nor should we try to sabotage someone else’s success. According to Romans 12:15, we should, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” This should be done sincerely from a loving heart.

Behold, keeping Jesus’ Golden Rule would obliterate passive-aggression (Matthew 7:12). In fact, we are to treat others the way we want them to treat us, not the way they have treated us. Regardless of how someone else acts, we are to respond with kindness, patience, and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31–32). When we stand before God one day, He will not ask us how we were treated, but how we treated others (Romans 14:12). With His help, we can recognize our own passive-aggressive tendencies and replace them with the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–25).

Did God Condone Aggression?

In reading the Old Testament, many people are likely to ask why the Lord God ordered Moses and Joshua to be so aggressive that they killed thousands of people and plundered their cities. Behold, this is an issue that is clearly problematic and has been the source of discussion among theologians for centuries. One example of the passages that portray such comes from the sixth chapter of the Book of Joshua, where God is said to have authorized Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho until they had fallen, then to enter the city with the Israelite army and to slay its inhabitants. Some Biblical scholars might argue that the Canaanite culture was inherently immoral – given to bestiality, brutality, incest, and even human sacrifice – and that it, therefore, deserved God’s wrath. But the passage certainly does not seem to align with our Christian notions of nonviolence and peace.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the topic in his 2010 apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini”; in a section titled “The ‘Dark’ Passages of the Bible,” he explained that “God’s plan is manifested progressively and it is accomplished slowly, in successive stages and despite human resistance” – which is another way of saying that the fullness of truth is revealed only in the person, teaching, and ministry of Jesus Christ (No. 42). As such, we would draw an analogy to the passage in the Gospel of Matthew (19:1-12) where Jesus Christ is asked why Moses allowed divorce; Christ’s response was that it was because of the “hardness of your hearts.” God was working, over time, with imperfect people, gradually leading them to Christ.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive?

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

James 1:19 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Romans 13:4 – “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Ezra 10:4 – “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

Matthew 21:12-13And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Galatians 3:27 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Luke 22:38And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Titus 2:12 – “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Luke 22:36He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Psalm 16:1-11 – “A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. …

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 2:4 – “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Mark 3:4-5Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

1 John 3:15 – “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Deuteronomy 4:33 – “Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Mark 5:1-43 – “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. …

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Ephesians 6:17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

Colossians 2:1-23 – “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. …

Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Romans 13:10-14 – “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Romans 1:18-32 – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …

Acts 2:38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 16:1-40 – “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. …

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Mark 10:38Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 6:1-56 – “He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Isaiah 14:6 – “That struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.”

Proverbs 29:22 – “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Isaiah 43:24 – “You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.”

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Psalm 37:8 – “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

2 Chronicles 2:4 – “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.

Proverbs 18:13 – “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Proverbs 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

1 John 2:9 – “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Colossians 4:1-18 – “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. …

James 2:26 – “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Philippians 2:5 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 8:9 – “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 12:17-19 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Romans 1:26-27 – “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-Aggressive

Luke 6:31 – “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Luke 18:14 – “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 6:27 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Luke 23:34And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

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What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive?

What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aggression as a forceful action or procedure (such as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master. It’s a hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior, especially when caused by frustration. In psychology, the term “aggression” refers to a range of behaviors that can result in both physical and psychological harm to yourself, others, or objects in the environment. Aggression centers on hurting another person either physically or mentally. It’s against the fundamental message of the Bible which is to love God and love our neighbors just as Christ loved us.
Mark 12:28-31 says, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 instructs us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Jesus Christ in John 13:34 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Similarly, 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Thus, the Bible commands us to avoid all forms of aggression centered on hurting another person in any way.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive?

Brethren, the Bible commands us to love others and as such, we should not be aggressive toward them. Aggression is not a characteristic of love. Aggression is a demonstration of hatred and violence which are highly condemned in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Below are explicit characteristics of love from the Bible:

  • Love is patient
  • Love is kind
  • Love is respectful
  • Love is not envious
  • Love is humble
  • Love is selfless
  • Love is trusting
  • Love is calm
  • Love is righteous
  • Love is honest
  • Love protects
  • Love is hopeful
  • Love is persistent
  • Love banishes fear
  • Love loves even those who don’t love it
  • Love comes from God
  • Love makes a great sacrifice
  • Love loves through true actions
  • Love loves itself
  • Love binds a person’s good virtues in perfect unity
  • Love gives you the confidence to face even the end of time
  • Love is the greatest

What Does the Bible Say About Violence?

Violence is an extreme form of aggression. Aggression does not always involve violence, but violence always involves aggression. Violence is defined as “physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing,” and sadly, violence is a part of everyday life. It’s in our movies and television shows, and we live in a world where power is often established through violence. But for Christians, the way of the world is always trumped by the Word of God. Note that violence in the mind is just as hurtful as violence by the hands. Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” When we know that someone is in sin, is it more loving to keep it quiet and build up hate and resentment towards them? God says we should speak frankly.

Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5:21-22 that murderous anger can lead the angry man to judgment from God as quickly as a physical blow. In fact, the violence he exhibits toward someone else can be brought back upon himself by the Lord God. What about violence in war? Exodus 20:13 had been incorrectly translated as “do not kill,” but it literally means “do not murder.” Notice that God has allowed for just wars throughout the history of His people. From Abraham to Deborah to David, the Lord God’s people have fought as instruments of judgment from a righteous and holy God. Romans 13:1-4 calls on us to submit ourselves to government authorities and that nations have the right to bear the sword against evildoers, both domestic and foreign.

Purposes and Signs of Aggression

Aggression can serve a number of different purposes, including:

  • Expressing anger or hostility
  • Expressing possession
  • Intimidating or threatening
  • Competing with others
  • Reacting to pain
  • Achieving a goal
  • Asserting Dominance
  • Responding to fear

Aggressive behaviors can be physical, psychological, verbal, relational, and/or passive-aggressive. Physical aggressive behaviors may include beating, kicking, hitting, or stabbing another person. Damaging property is also a form of physical aggression. Verbal aggressive behaviors may include mocking, name-calling, and yelling. Relational aggressive behaviors which are intended to harm another person’s relationships may include spreading rumors and telling lies about someone else. Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. While we often think of aggression in its physical forms, psychological aggression can also be very detrimental. For example, intimidating or verbally berating another person are examples of verbal, emotional, and mental aggression. Cyberbullying is another form of non-physical aggression that can be very damaging.

Violence occurs, but we must recognize the difference between the holy judgment on sin and our own personal vendettas against those we dislike, which is the inevitable outcome of pride (Psalm 73:6). While men are more prone to accept violence (especially as cultures depict real men as those who never cry, always have a plan, and carry a gun), the wisest man of all time wrote, “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31). Love, forgiveness, kindness, humility, self-control, prayer and patience helps us overcome aggression, violence, and anger.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-aggressive?

Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. A passive-aggressive person is one who appears to comply with a request but actually resists it in subtle ways. The resistance can range from pouting to delayed vindictiveness. We all exhibit passive-aggressive behaviors at some point, usually as children when it was not safe to openly rebel. However, as we mature, we should be learning healthier behaviors such as setting boundaries and expressing disagreements more openly. Although the Bible does not use the term passive-aggression, it does give us character sketches of people who exhibited passive-aggressive traits and the results of that behavior.

King David’s son Absalom is an example of a passive-aggressive person (2 Samuel 14:28–33). After Absalom had murdered his brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:20), David banished him from the kingdom. Even when he was allowed to return to the kingdom, David refused to have anything to do with him. But Absalom was full of pride and hated his father.
He summoned Joab, the commander of David’s armies, to send a message to David. When Joab twice refused the summons, Absalom set fire to his crops in the field. He then began plotting to take over the kingdom from his father, but he did so by feigning compassion and concern for the citizenry. He hinted that his father was not attending to the needs of the people, and that, if crowned king, he, Absalom, would see that their needs were met. Absalom’s plan was working, and “he stole the hearts of the people of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6). Passive aggressive people are possibly more dangerous than openly aggressive ones because we don’t see the attack coming.

Biblical Facts on Passive-Aggressiveness

King Ahab of Israel demonstrated passive-aggressive behavior when he coveted the vineyard of a neighbor and was denied its purchase (1 Kings 21:1–4). His response to being denied what he wanted was to sulk and pout and refuse to eat. His passive-aggressive actions prompted his wicked wife Jezebel to scheme the murder of Naboth, the vineyard owner, and give her husband the land. The Lord God Almighty immediately sent Elijah the prophet to proclaim to Ahab that He had seen all that happened and that Ahab’s death would soon follow Naboth’s (1 Kings 21:17–22). Notice that it was Ahab’s passive-aggressive behavior that had begun the disastrous chain of events.
Passive-aggressive speech and behavior are cowardly ways of avoiding conflict. By pretending to be pleasant while inwardly seething with resentment, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are peacemakers practicing self-control. In truth, we are communicating contempt and disapproval without having the courage to openly say so. An ancient Chinese proverb presents passive-aggression like this: “Behind the smile, a hidden knife!

Sadly, social media has turned passive aggression into an art form. We know what it means when we are “unfriended,” “unfollowed,” or blocked. Some people find it easier to vent their frustrations on social media than have a private conversation with someone who has offended them. However, what begins as passive aggression can quickly mushroom into online bullying. The internet and the proliferation of smartphones have created dozens of ways for passive-aggressive people to exact revenge from behind the relative safety of a screen. Whether acted, spoken, or typed, passive-aggressive responses are dishonest and harmful. We are pretending to be unoffended while secretly planning ways to get even.

More Biblical Facts

Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.” Brethren, the Bible instructs us to confront sin in a loving and humble way, taking someone with us if the offender will not listen (Matthew 18:15–17). We should be ready to forgive and restore when someone repents (Luke 17:3). Passive aggression bypasses those critical steps in a relationship and goes directly to judgment (John 7:24). Rather than openly confront the wrong and offer an opportunity to clear the air, passive-aggressive people slide silently into the judge’s seat and devise subtle ways to get even. Christians should not be jealous, envious, or backbiting, nor should we try to sabotage someone else’s success. According to Romans 12:15, we should, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” This should be done sincerely from a loving heart.

Behold, keeping Jesus’ Golden Rule would obliterate passive-aggression (Matthew 7:12). In fact, we are to treat others the way we want them to treat us, not the way they have treated us. Regardless of how someone else acts, we are to respond with kindness, patience, and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31–32). When we stand before God one day, He will not ask us how we were treated, but how we treated others (Romans 14:12). With His help, we can recognize our own passive-aggressive tendencies and replace them with the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–25).

Did God Condone Aggression?

In reading the Old Testament, many people are likely to ask why the Lord God ordered Moses and Joshua to be so aggressive that they killed thousands of people and plundered their cities. Behold, this is an issue that is clearly problematic and has been the source of discussion among theologians for centuries. One example of the passages that portray such comes from the sixth chapter of the Book of Joshua, where God is said to have authorized Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho until they had fallen, then to enter the city with the Israelite army and to slay its inhabitants. Some Biblical scholars might argue that the Canaanite culture was inherently immoral – given to bestiality, brutality, incest, and even human sacrifice – and that it, therefore, deserved God’s wrath. But the passage certainly does not seem to align with our Christian notions of nonviolence and peace.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the topic in his 2010 apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini”; in a section titled “The ‘Dark’ Passages of the Bible,” he explained that “God’s plan is manifested progressively and it is accomplished slowly, in successive stages and despite human resistance” – which is another way of saying that the fullness of truth is revealed only in the person, teaching, and ministry of Jesus Christ (No. 42). As such, we would draw an analogy to the passage in the Gospel of Matthew (19:1-12) where Jesus Christ is asked why Moses allowed divorce; Christ’s response was that it was because of the “hardness of your hearts.” God was working, over time, with imperfect people, gradually leading them to Christ.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive?

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

James 1:19 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Romans 13:4 – “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Ezra 10:4 – “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

Matthew 21:12-13And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Galatians 3:27 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Psalm 16:1-11 – “A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. …

Luke 22:38And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Titus 2:12 – “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Luke 22:36He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 2:4 – “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Mark 3:4-5Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

1 John 3:15 – “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Deuteronomy 4:33 – “Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Mark 5:1-43 – “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. …

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Romans 13:10-14 – “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Ephesians 6:17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

Colossians 2:1-23 – “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Acts 2:38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 16:1-40 – “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. …

John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Romans 1:18-32 – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Mark 10:38Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 6:1-56 – “He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Isaiah 14:6 – “That struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.”

Proverbs 29:22 – “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Isaiah 43:24 – “You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.”

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Psalm 37:8 – “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

2 Chronicles 2:4 – “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.

Proverbs 18:13 – “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Proverbs 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

1 John 2:9 – “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Colossians 4:1-18 – “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. …

James 2:26 – “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Philippians 2:5 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 8:9 – “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 12:17-19 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Romans 1:26-27 – “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Being Aggressive

Luke 6:31 – “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Luke 18:14 – “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 6:27 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Luke 23:34And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

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What Does the Bible Say About Aggression?

What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

What Does the Bible Say About Aggression? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aggression as a forceful action or procedure (such as an unprovoked attack) especially when intended to dominate or master. It’s a hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior, especially when caused by frustration. In psychology, the term “aggression” refers to a range of behaviors that can result in both physical and psychological harm to yourself, others, or objects in the environment. Aggression centers on hurting another person either physically or mentally. It’s against the fundamental message of the Bible which is to love God and love our neighbors just as Christ loved us.
Mark 12:28-31 says, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 instructs us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Jesus Christ in John 13:34 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Similarly, 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Thus, the Bible commands us to avoid all forms of aggression centered on hurting another person in any way.

What the Bible Says About Aggression

Brethren, the Bible commands us to love others and as such, we should not be aggressive toward them. Aggression is not a characteristic of love. Aggression is a demonstration of hatred and violence which are highly condemned in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” Below are explicit characteristics of love from the Bible:

  • Love is patient
  • Love is kind
  • Love is respectful
  • Love is not envious
  • Love is humble
  • Love is selfless
  • Love is trusting
  • Love is calm
  • Love is righteous
  • Love is honest
  • Love protects
  • Love is hopeful
  • Love is persistent
  • Love banishes fear
  • Love loves even those who don’t love it
  • Love comes from God
  • Love makes a great sacrifice
  • Love loves through true actions
  • Love loves itself
  • Love binds a person’s good virtues in perfect unity
  • Love gives you the confidence to face even the end of time
  • Love is the greatest

What Does the Bible Say About Violence?

Violence is an extreme form of aggression. Aggression does not always involve violence, but violence always involves aggression. Violence is defined as “physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing,” and sadly, violence is a part of everyday life. It’s in our movies and television shows, and we live in a world where power is often established through violence. But for Christians, the way of the world is always trumped by the Word of God. Note that violence in the mind is just as hurtful as violence by the hands. Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.” When we know that someone is in sin, is it more loving to keep it quiet and build up hate and resentment towards them? God says we should speak frankly.

Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5:21-22 that murderous anger can lead the angry man to judgment from God as quickly as a physical blow. In fact, the violence he exhibits toward someone else can be brought back upon himself by the Lord God. What about violence in war? Exodus 20:13 had been incorrectly translated as “do not kill,” but it literally means “do not murder.” Notice that God has allowed for just wars throughout the history of His people. From Abraham to Deborah to David, the Lord God’s people have fought as instruments of judgment from a righteous and holy God. Romans 13:1-4 calls on us to submit ourselves to government authorities and that nations have the right to bear the sword against evildoers, both domestic and foreign.

Purposes and Signs of Aggression

Aggression can serve a number of different purposes, including:

  • Expressing anger or hostility
  • Expressing possession
  • Intimidating or threatening
  • Competing with others
  • Reacting to pain
  • Achieving a goal
  • Asserting Dominance
  • Responding to fear

Aggressive behaviors can be physical, psychological, verbal, relational, and/or passive-aggressive. Physical aggressive behaviors may include beating, kicking, hitting, or stabbing another person. Damaging property is also a form of physical aggression. Verbal aggressive behaviors may include mocking, name-calling, and yelling. Relational aggressive behaviors which are intended to harm another person’s relationships may include spreading rumors and telling lies about someone else. Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. While we often think of aggression in its physical forms, psychological aggression can also be very detrimental. For example, intimidating or verbally berating another person are examples of verbal, emotional, and mental aggression. Cyberbullying is another form of non-physical aggression that can be very damaging.

Violence occurs, but we must recognize the difference between the holy judgment on sin and our own personal vendettas against those we dislike, which is the inevitable outcome of pride (Psalm 73:6). While men are more prone to accept violence (especially as cultures depict real men as those who never cry, always have a plan, and carry a gun), the wisest man of all time wrote, “Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways” (Proverbs 3:31). Love, forgiveness, kindness, humility, self-control, prayer and patience helps us overcome aggression, violence, and anger.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Passive-aggressive?

Passive-aggressive behavior is usually intended to allow harm to come to someone, rather than causing harm directly. A passive-aggressive person is one who appears to comply with a request but actually resists it in subtle ways. The resistance can range from pouting to delayed vindictiveness. We all exhibit passive-aggressive behaviors at some point, usually as children when it was not safe to openly rebel. However, as we mature, we should be learning healthier behaviors such as setting boundaries and expressing disagreements more openly. Although the Bible does not use the term passive-aggression, it does give us character sketches of people who exhibited passive-aggressive traits and the results of that behavior.

King David’s son Absalom is an example of a passive-aggressive person (2 Samuel 14:28–33). After Absalom had murdered his brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:20), David banished him from the kingdom. Even when he was allowed to return to the kingdom, David refused to have anything to do with him. But Absalom was full of pride and hated his father.
He summoned Joab, the commander of David’s armies, to send a message to David. When Joab twice refused the summons, Absalom set fire to his crops in the field. He then began plotting to take over the kingdom from his father, but he did so by feigning compassion and concern for the citizenry. He hinted that his father was not attending to the needs of the people, and that, if crowned king, he, Absalom, would see that their needs were met. Absalom’s plan was working, and “he stole the hearts of the people of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6). Passive aggressive people are possibly more dangerous than openly aggressive ones because we don’t see the attack coming.

Biblical Facts on Passive-Aggressiveness

King Ahab of Israel demonstrated passive-aggressive behavior when he coveted the vineyard of a neighbor and was denied its purchase (1 Kings 21:1–4). His response to being denied what he wanted was to sulk and pout and refuse to eat. His passive-aggressive actions prompted his wicked wife Jezebel to scheme the murder of Naboth, the vineyard owner, and give her husband the land. The Lord God Almighty immediately sent Elijah the prophet to proclaim to Ahab that He had seen all that happened and that Ahab’s death would soon follow Naboth’s (1 Kings 21:17–22). Notice that it was Ahab’s passive-aggressive behavior that had begun the disastrous chain of events.
Passive-aggressive speech and behavior are cowardly ways of avoiding conflict. By pretending to be pleasant while inwardly seething with resentment, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are peacemakers practicing self-control. In truth, we are communicating contempt and disapproval without having the courage to openly say so. An ancient Chinese proverb presents passive-aggression like this: “Behind the smile, a hidden knife!

Sadly, social media has turned passive aggression into an art form. We know what it means when we are “unfriended,” “unfollowed,” or blocked. Some people find it easier to vent their frustrations on social media than have a private conversation with someone who has offended them. However, what begins as passive aggression can quickly mushroom into online bullying. The internet and the proliferation of smartphones have created dozens of ways for passive-aggressive people to exact revenge from behind the relative safety of a screen. Whether acted, spoken, or typed, passive-aggressive responses are dishonest and harmful. We are pretending to be unoffended while secretly planning ways to get even.

More Biblical Facts

Leviticus 19:17 says, “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.” Brethren, the Bible instructs us to confront sin in a loving and humble way, taking someone with us if the offender will not listen (Matthew 18:15–17). We should be ready to forgive and restore when someone repents (Luke 17:3). Passive aggression bypasses those critical steps in a relationship and goes directly to judgment (John 7:24). Rather than openly confront the wrong and offer an opportunity to clear the air, passive-aggressive people slide silently into the judge’s seat and devise subtle ways to get even. Christians should not be jealous, envious, or backbiting, nor should we try to sabotage someone else’s success. According to Romans 12:15, we should, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” This should be done sincerely from a loving heart.

Behold, keeping Jesus’ Golden Rule would obliterate passive-aggression (Matthew 7:12). In fact, we are to treat others the way we want them to treat us, not the way they have treated us. Regardless of how someone else acts, we are to respond with kindness, patience, and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:31–32). When we stand before God one day, He will not ask us how we were treated, but how we treated others (Romans 14:12). With His help, we can recognize our own passive-aggressive tendencies and replace them with the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–25).

Did God Condone Aggression?

In reading the Old Testament, many people are likely to ask why the Lord God ordered Moses and Joshua to be so aggressive that they killed thousands of people and plundered their cities. Behold, this is an issue that is clearly problematic and has been the source of discussion among theologians for centuries. One example of the passages that portray such comes from the sixth chapter of the Book of Joshua, where God is said to have authorized Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho until they had fallen, then to enter the city with the Israelite army and to slay its inhabitants. Some Biblical scholars might argue that the Canaanite culture was inherently immoral – given to bestiality, brutality, incest, and even human sacrifice – and that it, therefore, deserved God’s wrath. But the passage certainly does not seem to align with our Christian notions of nonviolence and peace.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the topic in his 2010 apostolic exhortation “Verbum Domini”; in a section titled “The ‘Dark’ Passages of the Bible,” he explained that “God’s plan is manifested progressively and it is accomplished slowly, in successive stages and despite human resistance” – which is another way of saying that the fullness of truth is revealed only in the person, teaching, and ministry of Jesus Christ (No. 42). As such, we would draw an analogy to the passage in the Gospel of Matthew (19:1-12) where Jesus Christ is asked why Moses allowed divorce; Christ’s response was that it was because of the “hardness of your hearts.” God was working, over time, with imperfect people, gradually leading them to Christ.

What Does the Bible Say About Aggression?

Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

James 1:19 – “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Romans 13:4 – “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Ezra 10:4 – “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

Matthew 21:12-13And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Galatians 3:27 – “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

James 1:22 – “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

1 Peter 2:12 – “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Colossians 1:1-29 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Psalm 16:1-11 – “A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. …

Luke 22:38And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Titus 2:12 – “Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,”

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Luke 22:36He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Romans 12:1 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 2:4 – “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Colossians 3:1-25 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. …

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

1 John 3:15 – “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

Deuteronomy 4:33 – “Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Mark 3:4-5Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Mark 5:1-43 – “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. …

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Ephesians 6:17 – “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

Colossians 2:1-23 – “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. …

Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Romans 13:10-14 – “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Romans 1:18-32 – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, …

Acts 2:38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 16:1-40 – “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. …

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Mark 10:38Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Mark 6:1-56 – “He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Isaiah 14:6 – “That struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.”

Proverbs 29:22 – “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

Isaiah 43:24 – “You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities.”

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Proverbs 18:13 – “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 16:28 – “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.”

Proverbs 15:18 – “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

Psalm 37:8 – “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

2 Chronicles 2:4 – “Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

1 John 2:9 – “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Genesis 6:1-22 – “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

James 2:26 – “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 – “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Colossians 4:1-18 – “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Philippians 2:5 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Galatians 5:22 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

1 Corinthians 13:5 – “Or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 8:9 – “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”

John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 12:17-19 – “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Romans 1:26-27 – “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Aggression

Luke 6:27 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Luke 23:34And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Luke 6:31 – “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Luke 18:14 – “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders?

What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders? Merriam-Webster explicitly defines ageism as “prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group.” Although ageism can target any age group, discrimination is usually directed toward those of more advanced years. Ageism can negatively affect a person’s job prospects, access to healthcare, as well as how that person and his/her thoughts and ideas are perceived. Although ageism is a modern term not found in the Bible, Scripture still has much to say about it in all its forms. Behold, the Lord God’s Word explicitly condemns discrimination of any kind, especially among believers. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ teach that the greatest commands are to love the Lord with our whole hearts and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30–31). As believers, we are all equal in God’s eyes, with everyone deserving the same respect (Galatians 3:27–28; James 2:2–4).

In fact, the Lord God Himself “shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). Scripture teaches that elders are to be held in high esteem. Notice that the Bible doesn’t talk of their age as being negative but as something that distinguishes them due to the wisdom they have gleaned over the years. The elders have the responsibility of teaching the younger generation (Titus 2:3–4); the entire Biblical book of Proverbs is presented as a father’s instructions to his son (Proverbs 1:8). “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31), and “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old(Proverbs 20:29). Discrimination against the elderly is not the only ageism addressed in the Bible. However, ageism is counter to God’s command to believers who are called to respect and care for people of any age.

What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders?

When the Lord God Almighty gave the Law to His people, He clearly instructed Moses to tell them, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God” (Leviticus 19:32). It seems that respecting one’s elders went hand-in-hand with respect for the Lord Himself. Children of any age will find this command in Proverbs: “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22). 1 Timothy 5:1-2 encourages believers to treat older men and women as fathers and mothers, which we can link to God’s command in Exodus 20:12 to honor our fathers and mothers. Behold, the Bible provides no leeway for disrespecting the elderly, regardless of their age or what faculties they still possess.

Believers are also not to neglect the care of the elderly: “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. . . . Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:4, 8). Even in His agony on the cross, Jesus made arrangements for His mother’s care, asking His disciple John to take her in as his own mother (John 19:26–27). Paul instructs the relatively young Timothy on the importance of setting a good example: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Jesus held up children as the standard for the type of faith, purity, and humility we should seek (Matthew 18:2–4).

What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders?

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

2 Corinthians 4:16 – “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

Leviticus 19:32 – “’Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Ephesians 6:1-4 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Peter 5:5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Proverbs 23:22 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

Jeremiah 1:7But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

Proverbs 1:8 – “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Titus 2:1-15 – “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. …

Deuteronomy 32:7 – “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.”

Isaiah 46:4 – “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

Psalms 71:9 – “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

Job 15:14-26 – “What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water! “I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare (what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Ephesians 6:1 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

1 Peter 5:1-14 – “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” …

1 Timothy 5:1 – “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers,”

Psalm 37:25 – “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”

2 Kings 2:23-24 – “He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.”

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Proverbs 20:29 – “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Titus 2:1-15 – “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. …

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 20:11 – “Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.”

Mark 7:9-13And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

1 Timothy 5:2 – “Older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …

1 Peter 5:5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Proverbs 23:22 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

1 Timothy 5:1-2 – “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

1 Peter 2:17 – “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Matthew 18:15-20 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. …

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Job 32:4 – “Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he.

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Matthew 15:4 – “For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

Ephesians 6:1-3Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

1 Timothy 5:17 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Deuteronomy 5:16 – “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Job 12:12 – “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:7 – “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Philippians 2:3 – “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Revelation 21:1-27 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” …

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

1 Timothy 3:2 – “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

Luke 17:1-37And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” …

Acts 20:28 – “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Acts 14:23 – “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Ephesians 6:5 – “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

1 Peter 5:1-4 – “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Ruth 1:1-22 – “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. …

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Revelation 19:11-16 – “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ...”

Romans 13:1-7 – “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. …

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Acts 20:17 – “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

2 Samuel 1:1-27 – “After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” …

Job 32:6And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.

Titus 1:9 – “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

1 Timothy 5:17-19 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 – “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Proverbs 19:2 – “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”

Revelation 20:1-15 – “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Titus 1:5 – “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

Genesis 27:1-46 – “When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, …

Hebrews 13:16 – “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Genesis 5:1-32 – “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. …

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

1 Thessalonians 5:12 – “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

Hebrews 13:7 – “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

1 Peter 3:15 – “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

1 Peter 5:3 – “Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

Hebrews 12:9 – “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?

1 Timothy 6:1-2 – “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Revelation 4:11 – “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

1 Timothy 6:1 – “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Proverbs 1:8 – “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

Ephesians 6:2“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),

Leviticus 19:3 – “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.”

1 Kings 12:6Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”

Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Exodus 21:17 – “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

Romans 13:2 – “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

James 2:1 – “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

Luke 20:25He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Colossians 3:21 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Proverbs 19:13 – “A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.”

Acts 17:10-11 – “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

Group 17 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 Timothy 3:5 – “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 2:18 – “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

Proverbs 17:6 – “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

Titus 1:7 – “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Group 18 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Isaiah 3:1-26 – “For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. …

Proverbs 19:26 – “He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.”

Acts 20:17-35 – “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. …

Group 19 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Ephesians 6:3 – “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:14 – “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Titus 2:2 – “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

1 Timothy 3:4 – “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,

Group 20 – What Does the Bible Say About Respecting Elders

Ephesians 6:7 – “Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

1 Timothy 5:14 – “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.

1 Timothy 3:8 – “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

Revelation 20:4 – “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination?

What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination? Merriam-Webster explicitly defines ageism as “prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group.” Although ageism can target any age group, discrimination is usually directed toward those of more advanced years. Ageism can negatively affect a person’s job prospects, access to healthcare, as well as how that person and his/her thoughts and ideas are perceived. Although ageism is a modern term not found in the Bible, Scripture still has much to say about it in all its forms. Behold, the Lord God’s Word explicitly condemns discrimination of any kind, especially among believers. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ teach that the greatest commands are to love the Lord with our whole hearts and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30–31). As believers, we are all equal in God’s eyes, with everyone deserving the same respect (Galatians 3:27–28; James 2:2–4).

In fact, the Lord God Himself “shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). Scripture teaches that elders are to be held in high esteem. Notice that the Bible doesn’t talk of their age as being negative but as something that distinguishes them due to the wisdom they have gleaned over the years. The elders have the responsibility of teaching the younger generation (Titus 2:3–4); the entire Biblical book of Proverbs is presented as a father’s instructions to his son (Proverbs 1:8). “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31), and “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old(Proverbs 20:29). Discrimination against the elderly is not the only ageism addressed in the Bible. However, ageism is counter to God’s command to believers who are called to respect and care for people of any age.

What the Bible Says About Age Discrimination

When the Lord God Almighty gave the Law to His people, He clearly instructed Moses to tell them, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God” (Leviticus 19:32). It seems that respecting one’s elders went hand-in-hand with respect for the Lord Himself. Children of any age will find this command in Proverbs: “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22). 1 Timothy 5:1-2 encourages believers to treat older men and women as fathers and mothers, which we can link to God’s command in Exodus 20:12 to honor our fathers and mothers. Behold, the Bible provides no leeway for disrespecting the elderly, regardless of their age or what faculties they still possess.

Believers are also not to neglect the care of the elderly: “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. . . . Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:4, 8). Even in His agony on the cross, Jesus made arrangements for His mother’s care, asking His disciple John to take her in as his own mother (John 19:26–27). Paul instructs the relatively young Timothy on the importance of setting a good example: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Jesus held up children as the standard for the type of faith, purity, and humility we should seek (Matthew 18:2–4).

What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination?

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

2 Corinthians 4:16 – “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

Leviticus 19:32 – “’Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Ephesians 6:1-4 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Peter 5:5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Proverbs 23:22 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

Jeremiah 1:7But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

Proverbs 1:8 – “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Titus 2:1-15 – “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. …

Deuteronomy 32:7 – “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.”

Isaiah 46:4 – “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

Psalms 71:9 – “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

Job 15:14-26 – “What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water! “I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare (what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

1 Timothy 5:1 – “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers,”

Psalm 37:25 – “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”

2 Kings 2:23-24 – “He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.”

Ephesians 6:1 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

1 Peter 5:1-14 – “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” …

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 20:11 – “Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.”

Mark 7:9-13And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Proverbs 20:29 – “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Titus 2:1-15 – “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. …

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

1 Peter 5:5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

1 Timothy 5:2 – “Older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Matthew 18:15-20 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. …

Proverbs 23:22 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

1 Timothy 5:1-2 – “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

1 Peter 2:17 – “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

1 Timothy 5:17 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Deuteronomy 5:16 – “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Job 32:4 – “Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he.

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Matthew 15:4 – “For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

Ephesians 6:1-3Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Philippians 2:3 – “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Revelation 21:1-27 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” …

Job 12:12 – “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:7 – “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Acts 20:28 – “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Acts 14:23 – “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

1 Timothy 3:2 – “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

Luke 17:1-37And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Ephesians 6:5 – “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

1 Peter 5:1-4 – “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Ruth 1:1-22 – “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. …

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Revelation 19:11-16 – “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ...”

Romans 13:1-7 – “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. …

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Job 32:6And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.

Titus 1:9 – “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

1 Timothy 5:17-19 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

Acts 20:17 – “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

2 Samuel 1:1-27 – “After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” …

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 – “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Proverbs 19:2 – “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”

Revelation 20:1-15 – “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Hebrews 13:16 – “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Genesis 5:1-32 – “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. …

Titus 1:5 – “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

Genesis 27:1-46 – “When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, …

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

1 Thessalonians 5:12 – “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

Hebrews 13:7 – “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

1 Peter 3:15 – “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

1 Peter 5:3 – “Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

Hebrews 12:9 – “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?

1 Timothy 6:1-2 – “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Proverbs 1:8 – “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

Ephesians 6:2“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),

Leviticus 19:3 – “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.”

1 Kings 12:6Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Revelation 4:11 – “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

1 Timothy 6:1 – “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Exodus 21:17 – “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

Romans 13:2 – “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

James 2:1 – “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

Luke 20:25He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Colossians 3:21 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Proverbs 19:13 – “A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.”

Acts 17:10-11 – “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

Group 17 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

1 Peter 2:18 – “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

Proverbs 17:6 – “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

Titus 1:7 – “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 Timothy 3:5 – “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Group 18 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Proverbs 19:26 – “He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.”

Acts 20:17-35 – “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. …

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Isaiah 3:1-26 – “For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. …

Group 19 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Ephesians 6:3 – “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:14 – “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Titus 2:2 – “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

1 Timothy 3:4 – “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,

Group 20 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Discrimination

Ephesians 6:7 – “Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

1 Timothy 5:14 – “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.

1 Timothy 3:8 – “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

Revelation 20:4 – “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Ageism?

What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

What Does the Bible Say About Ageism? Merriam-Webster explicitly defines ageism as “prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group.” Although ageism can target any age group, discrimination is usually directed toward those of more advanced years. Ageism can negatively affect a person’s job prospects, access to healthcare, as well as how that person and his/her thoughts and ideas are perceived. Although ageism is a modern term not found in the Bible, Scripture still has much to say about it in all its forms. Behold, the Lord God’s Word explicitly condemns discrimination of any kind, especially among believers. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ teach that the greatest commands are to love the Lord with our whole hearts and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30–31). As believers, we are all equal in God’s eyes, with everyone deserving the same respect (Galatians 3:27–28; James 2:2–4).

In fact, the Lord God Himself “shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). Scripture teaches that elders are to be held in high esteem. Notice that the Bible doesn’t talk of their age as being negative but as something that distinguishes them due to the wisdom they have gleaned over the years. The elders have the responsibility of teaching the younger generation (Titus 2:3–4); the entire Biblical book of Proverbs is presented as a father’s instructions to his son (Proverbs 1:8). “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31), and “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old(Proverbs 20:29). Discrimination against the elderly is not the only ageism addressed in the Bible. However, ageism is counter to God’s command to believers who are called to respect and care for people of any age.

What the Bible Says About Ageism

When the Lord God Almighty gave the Law to His people, He clearly instructed Moses to tell them, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God” (Leviticus 19:32). It seems that respecting one’s elders went hand-in-hand with respect for the Lord Himself. Children of any age will find this command in Proverbs: “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22). 1 Timothy 5:1-2 encourages believers to treat older men and women as fathers and mothers, which we can link to God’s command in Exodus 20:12 to honor our fathers and mothers. Behold, the Bible provides no leeway for disrespecting the elderly, regardless of their age or what faculties they still possess.

Believers are also not to neglect the care of the elderly: “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. . . . Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:4, 8). Even in His agony on the cross, Jesus made arrangements for His mother’s care, asking His disciple John to take her in as his own mother (John 19:26–27). Paul instructs the relatively young Timothy on the importance of setting a good example: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Jesus held up children as the standard for the type of faith, purity, and humility we should seek (Matthew 18:2–4).

What Does the Bible Say About Ageism?

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

2 Corinthians 4:16 – “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

Leviticus 19:32 – “’Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.”

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Ephesians 6:1-4 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Peter 5:5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Proverbs 23:22 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

Jeremiah 1:7But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.”

Proverbs 1:8 – “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Deuteronomy 32:7 – “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.”

Isaiah 46:4 – “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

Psalms 71:9 – “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone.

Job 15:14-26 – “What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water! “I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare (what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, …

Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Titus 2:1-15 – “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

1 Timothy 5:1 – “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers,”

Psalm 37:25 – “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”

2 Kings 2:23-24 – “He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.”

Ephesians 6:1 – “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

1 Peter 5:1-14 – “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” …

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Proverbs 20:29 – “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.

Titus 2:1-15 – “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. …

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 20:11 – “Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.”

Mark 7:9-13And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

1 Peter 5:5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

1 Timothy 5:2 – “Older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

1 John 2:1-29 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Proverbs 23:22 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”

1 Timothy 5:1-2 – “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

Proverbs 19:20 – “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”

1 Peter 2:17 – “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”

Proverbs 16:31 – “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

Matthew 18:15-20 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. …

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

1 Timothy 5:17 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Deuteronomy 5:16 – “‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Job 32:4 – “Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he.

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Matthew 15:4 – “For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’

Ephesians 6:1-3Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Job 12:12 – “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days.

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Romans 13:7 – “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Philippians 2:3 – “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

Revelation 21:1-27 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” …

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Acts 20:28 – “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

Acts 14:23 – “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

1 Timothy 3:2 – “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

Luke 17:1-37And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” …

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Ephesians 6:5 – “Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

1 Peter 5:1-4 – “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Ruth 1:1-22 – “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. …

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Romans 12:10 – “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Revelation 19:11-16 – “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ...”

Romans 13:1-7 – “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. …

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Job 32:6And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: “I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.

Titus 1:9 – “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

1 Timothy 5:17-19 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

Acts 20:17 – “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

2 Samuel 1:1-27 – “After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” …

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 – “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Proverbs 19:2 – “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.”

Revelation 20:1-15 – “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Hebrews 13:16 – “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Genesis 5:1-32 – “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. …

Titus 1:5 – “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

Genesis 27:1-46 – “When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, …

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

1 Thessalonians 5:12 – “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

Hebrews 13:7 – “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

1 Peter 3:15 – “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

1 Peter 5:3 – “Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

Hebrews 12:9 – “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?

1 Timothy 6:1-2 – “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Proverbs 1:8 – “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

Ephesians 6:2“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),

Leviticus 19:3 – “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.”

1 Kings 12:6Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Revelation 4:11 – “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

1 Timothy 6:1 – “Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.

Colossians 3:20 – “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Exodus 21:17 – “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

Romans 13:2 – “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

James 2:1 – “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

Luke 20:25He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Colossians 3:21 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Proverbs 19:13 – “A foolish son is ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.”

Acts 17:10-11 – “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

Group 17 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

1 Peter 2:18 – “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

Proverbs 17:6 – “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

Titus 1:7 – “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,”

James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 Timothy 3:5 – “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Group 18 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Isaiah 3:1-26 – “For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. …

Proverbs 19:26 – “He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.”

Acts 20:17-35 – “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. …

Group 19 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Timothy 4:14 – “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

Titus 2:2 – “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

1 Timothy 3:4 – “He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,

Ephesians 6:3 – “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Group 20 – What Does the Bible Say About Ageism

Ephesians 6:7 – “Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

1 Timothy 5:14 – “So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.

1 Timothy 3:8 – “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

Revelation 20:4 – “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Also Read

What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple?

What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple? We have individual age differences as well as group age differences given by age categories (children, youth, adults, and seniors). In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In regard to youths and adults, 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” In regard to adults and seniors, Leviticus 19:32 says to the children and youths, “’Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.”
Furthermore, Proverbs 22:6 says to the adults and seniors, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

What Does the Bible Say About Age Differences in Relationships? A Bible search for the phrase “age differences in relationships” gives us exactly 0 results. The Bible doesn’t focus much on age differences. But there is an exception made for Abraham and Sarah; the Bible explicitly tells us their age difference. At the time God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would be the start of many nations, “Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’” (Genesis 17:17). Abraham’s mirthful questions clearly indicate that he and Sarah were ten (10) years apart – not a huge age difference, but noteworthy. Apart from Abraham and Sarah, there are no other couples in the Bible where both individuals’ ages are given.

What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple?

It’s often assumed that Boaz was significantly older than Ruth. This is based on a passage in Ruth 3. When Ruth asked Boaz to be her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz replies, “The Lord bless you, my daughter. . . . You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor” (Ruth 3:10). The implication is that Ruth, rather than seeking a husband among those closer to her own age, either in Moab or Israel, sought to follow Jewish custom and place herself under the protection of the more mature Boaz. The Jewish Mishnah sets Boaz’s age at 80 and Ruth’s at 40 (Ruth Rabbah 7:4; Ruth Zuta 4:13), but that’s pure speculation since the Bible does not clearly reveal their ages. It is also commonly thought that Joseph was significantly older than Mary. However, this claim is not explicitly supported in the Bible.

Following the Bible’s silence on the issue of age differences in relationships/marriages, we can say that, in the end, age differences in relationships/marriages are not a major concern to God. It’s without a doubt that age can be important in a marriage, but it is far less important than other issues such as salvation, spiritual maturity, compatibility, etc. Notice that as people get older, age differences mean less and less. Obviously, a 40-year-old marrying an 18-year-old will raise some eyebrows, but no one thinks twice about an 82-year-old marrying a 60-year-old. The person we marry should be of the opposite gender (Genesis 2:21–25), and he or she should be a believer in Christ (2 Corinthians 6:14). And, of course, we should marry for the proper reasons (lust and greed being improper reasons). Beyond those guidelines, we have a certain amount of freedom concerning whom to marry.

Does the Bible Set Limitations on Age Differences for Men and Women Who Want to Get into Relationships/Marriages?

The Bible doesn’t offer any specific guidelines stipulating the age differences appropriate for relationships/marriage, but some things are implied. It is hard to imagine the lovers in the Song of Solomon being of widely disparate ages; and Proverbs 5:18, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth” seems to imply the marriage of a young man to a young woman. Yet the marriage of an older person to a younger one is not forbidden by Scripture; and since Scripture doesn’t forbid it, such marriages would be within the realm of Christian liberty. However, age differences are a matter of consideration, and we should certainly ask for wisdom when the difference is great (James 1:5), but the Bible does not treat age differences as a moral or spiritual issue.

Unfortunately, there is likely to be something unsettling about the marriages of most people separated by many years of age. In such cases, the chances of having a marriage for the wrong reasons is common.
The greater the age difference, the more it seems likely that there might be an unhealthy motivation for the marriage. Does the older partner hope to recapture his/her youth through a union with the younger spouse? Is the younger spouse in search of the security of a parent figure rather than risking a relationship with a peer? Are there selfish sexual or financial motivations involved? Behold, the consequences of such a marriage are alarming. If a young man marries an older woman, he may never experience the joy of fatherhood. A young woman married to an older man may find when her children are teenagers that she is closer to her children in temperament and attitude than with a rapidly aging, possibly infirm, husband.

Age Differences Are Not a Huge Factor in Marital Success; Being Unequally Yoked is

Brethren, the Bible doesn’t focus much on age differences. Abraham was ten (10) years older than Sarah, his wife. Many of the Jewish men married girls five (5) to ten (10) years younger than they were, although that was part of their culture, but what about huge age differences of ten years or more? We strongly believe that the greatest issue with marriage is being unequally yoked in the faith. The Bible teaches that we are not to be unequally yoked with non-believers. That certainly includes marriage. Behold, that doesn’t mean we cut ourselves off from the world. Jesus Christ prayed for the disciples that while they were still in the world, they would not be of the world (John 17:12). The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Considering 2 Corinthians 6:14, maybe Paul had in mind the Old Testament Law that said, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together” (Deuteronomy 22:10). Brethren, why was that law? Simply because the ox may want to go one way while the donkey decides to go another … or just sit! Then, the ox does all the work! Behold, that’s not an equally yoked team. So too is a believer and non-believer when yoked or joined in marriage. One will pursue the things of the world and try to go one way, while the other seeks the things of God and tries to go another. One will pull or drag on the other, especially if they are going in different directions, but they won’t be working together as a team. Behold, that’s a big problem. And such situations should be avoided.

More Facts

God did not want us to marry unbelievers just as ancient Israel was forbidden to marry pagans. God knew they’d quickly adopt the ways of the pagans and stop worshipping Him. Marriage is difficult when both partners are not going in the same direction, nor pulling with the same force. Water and oil don’t mix. Likewise, light and darkness don’t mix either. The light overcomes the darkness, but the darkness cannot overcome the light, particularly the Light of the world, Jesus Christ (John 1:4). We were called out of darkness and into Light, and now we are charged to bring the Light into the darkness so we can bring others out into the Light, but that does not mean we join the darkness. Our “bodies are members of Christ” (1 Corinthians 6:15), and members of Christ’s body don’t do well when joined with body members of the world.

Jesus said there are only two kinds of children; the children of darkness, or of the Devil, and the children of God, or those who trust in Christ. The Jews claimed Abraham as their father, but Jesus told them, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). 1 John 3:2 says that “we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, …”, so there are only the children of the Devil and the children of God. Scripture is against intermarriage between these children.

What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple?

Genesis 17:17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Proverbs 5:18 – “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

1 Peter 2:16 – “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

Romans 14:23 – “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Galatians 5:13 – “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Group 1 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Ruth 3:9-11He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …

Group 2 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 7:28 – “But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.”

Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

1 Timothy 3:2 – “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;

Luke 20:34And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,”

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Group 3 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Proverbs 19:14 – “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Numbers 36:6 – “This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father.

Ruth 3:10And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.”

Proverbs 5:18-19 – “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.”

Ephesians 5:31 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

Matthew 1:5 – “And Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,”

Group 4 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Matthew 19:25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

Mark 10:6-9 – “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;

Job 38:12 – “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,

Proverbs 9:1-18 – “Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. …

Group 5 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Matthew 24:22 – “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1 Thessalonians 4:17 – “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

1 Peter 1:19 – “But with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Genesis 1:1-31 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. …

Group 6 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Luke 18:8 – “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

John 1:11 – “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”

Luke 18:8 – “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

Isaiah 16:1-14 – “Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion. Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, …

Isaiah 29:1-24 – “Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel. And I will encamp against you all around, and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you. And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly, …

Group 7 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Isaiah 15:1-9 – “An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone. He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn; in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears. Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles. My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction; …

Matthew 5:32 – “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Ezekiel 16:7-8 – “I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.

Group 8 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Ruth 3:11 – “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.”

Isaiah 62:5 – “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Ruth 3:11 – “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

Esther 5:1-14 – “On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” ...”

Group 9 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Genesis 2:20 – “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, …

Ephesians 5:26 – “That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

Genesis 2:22-24 – “And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Group 10 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Colossians 3:18 – “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Isaiah 3:1-26 – “For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. …

John 3:6 – “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

Genesis 1:28And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Group 11 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Colossians 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

Isaiah 23:1-18 – “The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you. And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations. Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: “I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women.” When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish over the report about Tyre. …

Numbers 31:18 – “But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

1 Peter 3:15 – “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Group 12 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Isaiah 19:1-25 – “An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom; and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers; and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord God of hosts. And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched, …

Ezekiel 16:4-14 – “And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born. “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. …

Group 13 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Ruth 3:9He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”

Psalm 37:1-40 – “Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. …

Proverbs 21:19 – “It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.”

Isaiah 14:1-32 – “For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord’s land as male and female slaves. They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: …

Group 14 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Genesis 29:20-28 – “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) …

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Mark 7:14 – “And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 7:2 – “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Group 15 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Romans 7:2 – “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.

Luke 2:36 – “And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,”

Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Genesis 2:22 – “And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”

Genesis 24:1-67 – “Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” …

Group 16 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

1 John 4:8 – “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Genesis 25:20 – “And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.

Deuteronomy 25:5 – “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Ezekiel 23:20 – “And lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Matthew 19:12 – “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.

Group 17 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

John 13:7Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 8:12Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

John 15:12 – “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Ephesians 5:21-33 – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, …

Group 18 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Matthew 22:37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Matthew 19:4-6He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Micah 6:8 – “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Group 19 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

John 8:32 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Group 20 – What is the Perfect Age Difference Between a Couple

Luke 6:27 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Matthew 24:1-51 – “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. …

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Mark 10:6-9 – “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Also Read

What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating?

What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating? We have individual age differences as well as group age differences given by age categories (children, youth, adults, and seniors). In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In regard to youths and adults, 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” In regard to adults and seniors, Leviticus 19:32 says to the children and youths, “’Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.”
Furthermore, Proverbs 22:6 says to the adults and seniors, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

What Does the Bible Say About Age Differences in Relationships? A Bible search for the phrase “age differences in relationships” gives us exactly 0 results. The Bible doesn’t focus much on age differences. But there is an exception made for Abraham and Sarah; the Bible explicitly tells us their age difference. At the time God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would be the start of many nations, “Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’” (Genesis 17:17). Abraham’s mirthful questions clearly indicate that he and Sarah were ten (10) years apart – not a huge age difference, but noteworthy. Apart from Abraham and Sarah, there are no other couples in the Bible where both individuals’ ages are given.

What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating?

It’s often assumed that Boaz was significantly older than Ruth. This is based on a passage in Ruth 3. When Ruth asked Boaz to be her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz replies, “The Lord bless you, my daughter. . . . You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor” (Ruth 3:10). The implication is that Ruth, rather than seeking a husband among those closer to her own age, either in Moab or Israel, sought to follow Jewish custom and place herself under the protection of the more mature Boaz. The Jewish Mishnah sets Boaz’s age at 80 and Ruth’s at 40 (Ruth Rabbah 7:4; Ruth Zuta 4:13), but that’s pure speculation since the Bible does not clearly reveal their ages. It is also commonly thought that Joseph was significantly older than Mary. However, this claim is not explicitly supported in the Bible.

Following the Bible’s silence on the issue of age differences in relationships/marriages, we can say that, in the end, age differences in relationships/marriages are not a major concern to God. It’s without a doubt that age can be important in a marriage, but it is far less important than other issues such as salvation, spiritual maturity, compatibility, etc. Notice that as people get older, age differences mean less and less. Obviously, a 40-year-old marrying an 18-year-old will raise some eyebrows, but no one thinks twice about an 82-year-old marrying a 60-year-old. The person we marry should be of the opposite gender (Genesis 2:21–25), and he or she should be a believer in Christ (2 Corinthians 6:14). And, of course, we should marry for the proper reasons (lust and greed being improper reasons). Beyond those guidelines, we have a certain amount of freedom concerning whom to marry.

Does the Bible Set Limitations on Age Differences for Men and Women Who Want to Get into Relationships/Marriages?

The Bible doesn’t offer any specific guidelines stipulating the age differences appropriate for relationships/marriage, but some things are implied. It is hard to imagine the lovers in the Song of Solomon being of widely disparate ages; and Proverbs 5:18, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth” seems to imply the marriage of a young man to a young woman. Yet the marriage of an older person to a younger one is not forbidden by Scripture; and since Scripture doesn’t forbid it, such marriages would be within the realm of Christian liberty. However, age differences are a matter of consideration, and we should certainly ask for wisdom when the difference is great (James 1:5), but the Bible does not treat age differences as a moral or spiritual issue.

Unfortunately, there is likely to be something unsettling about the marriages of most people separated by many years of age. In such cases, the chances of having a marriage for the wrong reasons is common.
The greater the age difference, the more it seems likely that there might be an unhealthy motivation for the marriage. Does the older partner hope to recapture his/her youth through a union with the younger spouse? Is the younger spouse in search of the security of a parent figure rather than risking a relationship with a peer? Are there selfish sexual or financial motivations involved? Behold, the consequences of such a marriage are alarming. If a young man marries an older woman, he may never experience the joy of fatherhood. A young woman married to an older man may find when her children are teenagers that she is closer to her children in temperament and attitude than with a rapidly aging, possibly infirm, husband.

Age Differences Are Not a Huge Factor in Marital Success; Being Unequally Yoked is

Brethren, the Bible doesn’t focus much on age differences. Abraham was ten (10) years older than Sarah, his wife. Many of the Jewish men married girls five (5) to ten (10) years younger than they were, although that was part of their culture, but what about huge age differences of ten years or more? We strongly believe that the greatest issue with marriage is being unequally yoked in the faith. The Bible teaches that we are not to be unequally yoked with non-believers. That certainly includes marriage. Behold, that doesn’t mean we cut ourselves off from the world. Jesus Christ prayed for the disciples that while they were still in the world, they would not be of the world (John 17:12). The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Considering 2 Corinthians 6:14, maybe Paul had in mind the Old Testament Law that said, “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together” (Deuteronomy 22:10). Brethren, why was that law? Simply because the ox may want to go one way while the donkey decides to go another … or just sit! Then, the ox does all the work! Behold, that’s not an equally yoked team. So too is a believer and non-believer when yoked or joined in marriage. One will pursue the things of the world and try to go one way, while the other seeks the things of God and tries to go another. One will pull or drag on the other, especially if they are going in different directions, but they won’t be working together as a team. Behold, that’s a big problem. And such situations should be avoided.

More Facts

God did not want us to marry unbelievers just as ancient Israel was forbidden to marry pagans. God knew they’d quickly adopt the ways of the pagans and stop worshipping Him. Marriage is difficult when both partners are not going in the same direction, nor pulling with the same force. Water and oil don’t mix. Likewise, light and darkness don’t mix either. The light overcomes the darkness, but the darkness cannot overcome the light, particularly the Light of the world, Jesus Christ (John 1:4). We were called out of darkness and into Light, and now we are charged to bring the Light into the darkness so we can bring others out into the Light, but that does not mean we join the darkness. Our “bodies are members of Christ” (1 Corinthians 6:15), and members of Christ’s body don’t do well when joined with body members of the world.

Jesus said there are only two kinds of children; the children of darkness, or of the Devil, and the children of God, or those who trust in Christ. The Jews claimed Abraham as their father, but Jesus told them, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). 1 John 3:2 says that “we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, …”, so there are only the children of the Devil and the children of God. Scripture is against intermarriage between these children.

What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating?

Genesis 17:17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

1 Timothy 4:12 – “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Matthew 19:9 – “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Proverbs 5:18 – “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

1 Peter 2:16 – “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”

Romans 14:23 – “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Galatians 5:13 – “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Group 1 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Ruth 3:9-11He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

1 Corinthians 7:39 – “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 7:1-40 – “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. …

Group 2 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Mark 10:9 – “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Genesis 2:24 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 7:28 – “But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.”

Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

1 Timothy 3:2 – “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”

Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;

Luke 20:34And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,”

2 Corinthians 6:14 – “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Group 3 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Proverbs 31:10 – “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”

Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Proverbs 19:14 – “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Numbers 36:6 – “This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: ‘Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father.

Ruth 3:10And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.”

Proverbs 5:18-19 – “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.”

Ephesians 5:31 – “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

Matthew 1:5 – “And Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,”

Group 4 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Matthew 19:25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

Matthew 18:15 – “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.”

Mark 10:6-9 – “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;

Job 38:12 – “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place,

Proverbs 9:1-18 – “Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. …

Group 5 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Matthew 24:22 – “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1 Thessalonians 4:17 – “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

1 Peter 1:19 – “But with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”

Genesis 1:1-31 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. …

Group 6 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Luke 18:8 – “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

John 1:11 – “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”

Luke 18:8 – “I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?

Isaiah 16:1-14 – “Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sela, by way of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of Zion. Like fleeing birds, like a scattered nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. “Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, …

Isaiah 29:1-24 – “Ah, Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! Add year to year; let the feasts run their round. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be moaning and lamentation, and she shall be to me like an Ariel. And I will encamp against you all around, and will besiege you with towers and I will raise siegeworks against you. And you will be brought low; from the earth you shall speak, and from the dust your speech will be bowed down; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and from the dust your speech shall whisper. But the multitude of your foreign foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the ruthless like passing chaff. And in an instant, suddenly, …

Group 7 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Isaiah 15:1-9 – “An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone. He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon, to the high places to weep; over Nebo and over Medeba Moab wails. On every head is baldness; every beard is shorn; in the streets they wear sackcloth; on the housetops and in the squares everyone wails and melts in tears. Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their voice is heard as far as Jahaz; therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud; his soul trembles. My heart cries out for Moab; her fugitives flee to Zoar, to Eglath-shelishiyah. For at the ascent of Luhith they go up weeping; on the road to Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction; …

Matthew 5:32 – “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Ezekiel 16:7-8 – “I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.

Group 8 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Ruth 3:11 – “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.”

Isaiah 62:5 – “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

1 Peter 3:7 – “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Ruth 3:11 – “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.

Esther 5:1-14 – “On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” ...”

Group 9 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Genesis 2:20 – “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.”

Ephesians 5:22-33 – “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, …

Ephesians 5:26 – “That he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,”

Genesis 2:22-24 – “And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Group 10 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Colossians 3:18 – “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Isaiah 3:1-26 – “For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. …

John 3:6 – “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Matthew 19:5 – “And said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

Genesis 1:28And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Group 11 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Colossians 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

Isaiah 23:1-18 – “The oracle concerning Tyre. Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. Be still, O inhabitants of the coast; the merchants of Sidon, who cross the sea, have filled you. And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations. Be ashamed, O Sidon, for the sea has spoken, the stronghold of the sea, saying: “I have neither labored nor given birth, I have neither reared young men nor brought up young women.” When the report comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish over the report about Tyre. …

Numbers 31:18 – “But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him keep alive for yourselves.”

Revelation 1:1 – “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,

1 Peter 3:15 – “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Group 12 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Isaiah 19:1-25 – “An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom; and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers; and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord God of hosts. And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched, …

Ezekiel 16:4-14 – “And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born. “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet you were naked and bare. …

Group 13 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Ruth 3:9He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”

Psalm 37:1-40 – “Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. …

Proverbs 21:19 – “It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.”

Isaiah 14:1-32 – “For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and will again choose Israel, and will set them in their own land, and sojourners will join them and will attach themselves to the house of Jacob. And the peoples will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them in the Lord’s land as male and female slaves. They will take captive those who were their captors, and rule over those who oppressed them. When the Lord has given you rest from your pain and turmoil and the hard service with which you were made to serve, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: …

Group 14 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Genesis 29:20-28 – “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) …

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Mark 7:14 – “And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:

1 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

1 Corinthians 7:2 – “But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 – “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Group 15 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Romans 7:2 – “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:15 – “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.

Luke 2:36 – “And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,”

Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Genesis 2:22 – “And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”

Genesis 24:1-67 – “Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” …

Group 16 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

1 John 4:8 – “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Genesis 25:20 – “And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.

Deuteronomy 25:5 – “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Ezekiel 23:20 – “And lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses.

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Matthew 19:12 – “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.

Group 17 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

John 13:7Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John 8:12Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 22:39 – “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

John 15:12 – “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Ephesians 5:21-33 – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, …

Group 18 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Luke 14:28 – “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Matthew 22:37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Matthew 19:4-6He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Micah 6:8 – “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Proverbs 30:18-19 – “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin.

Group 19 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

John 8:32 – “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Genesis 1:27-28So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Group 20 – What Does the Bible Say About Age Difference in Dating

Luke 6:27 – “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,”

Matthew 24:1-51 – “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. …

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Mark 10:6-9 – “But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.

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